But I think the Gamekeeper is a very special and scary type of villain. Worse than the Crossed. As bad as it gets, in fact.

You think of the most iconic horror characters. Dracula. Hannibal Lecter. More than monsters, these villains have a class and majesty about them. You almost want them to seduce you.

The Gamekeeper takes this same concept. He's not classy by any means. Just the opposite. Every single thing about him is ugly. But he has a supernatural quality. He can walk among the Crossed and survive, even thrive. You want to be like him. You want to put your life in his hands.

The killing of Ashoke is just such a betrayal. That kid trusted him with his life. The nun defied him. But the kid did nothing wrong. It's horrible and wrong... And yet logical. The kid had no survival skills, and thus deserves to die. It's twisted because it almost makes sense.

And then keeping Shaky alive, like he sees something in him worth keeping. A capacity for twistedness, perhaps. Like Iago in Othello, he didn't want enemies, he wanted CONVERTS. ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352072#Comment_352072
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352072#Comment_352072Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:44:19 -0500Michael WayneAnd yes, the flashback is horrible, and almost enough to drive a man to insanity. Someone you already love cut on the face and assaulted? Doesn't get much worse.

When they opened them, the eggs hatched, opening up with outstretched human hands, each holding a rapidly growing human foetus, which, as it developed, clearly showed the crossed rash on its face. It's not the first time I've woken in terror of my family being shredded.

So yeah, thanks for screwing my mind up... ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352134#Comment_352134
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352134#Comment_352134Sun, 28 Apr 2013 05:44:53 -0500Deadly RamonCROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352162#Comment_352162
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352162#Comment_352162Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:10:04 -0500SenorSmoothieHonestly what I find compelling about this comic is that it basically goes to where few other stories dare to, and shows the true scale and horror that is these graphic and horrific crimes which often is merely hand waved as a plot theme for some other comic and really adjusts the scale on my perception of morality. As such, because of these comics I don't feel like I can take issues like sexual assault and psychopathic murder so lightly like what's actually happening with all these B-films or crime shows, which I see a staggering amount of people become non-chalant with such as the word "rape" in modern slang. Although I do believe that the initial idea behind the Crossed was based off real atrocities from wars and stuff brought into a first world zombie apocalypse setting, but human society deals with them sickos a lot more then usual now with the UN or general law and order *plus modern firepower*. On a sidenote it's probably why I'm so loving the Englishman's Badlands arc happening now...can't wait for the Crossed to get what's coming to them :D. Overall I believe I can just subconsciously draw the divide between the horror and reality, and I know that in the real world human society tend to be a lot more...constructive...on average. Or maybe I'm a just a sick asshole XD. ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352173#Comment_352173
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352173#Comment_352173Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:28:35 -0500lankmarrowGreat stuff Simon. I now have to decelerate like crazy and adjust to the regular episodic schedule. Feels like going cold turkey.

Plus I think I have the start of this weird rash on my face. ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352174#Comment_352174
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352174#Comment_352174Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:58:53 -0500Deadly RamonCROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352180#Comment_352180
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352180#Comment_352180Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:18:48 -0500johnjonesCROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352196#Comment_352196
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352196#Comment_352196Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:36:41 -0500VoteForDuvallI've been into survivalist and apocalyptic literature and cinema for as long as I can remember, and I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that the Crossed series makes all other post-apocalyptic worlds look like candyland... except for maybe The Road. In both Crossed and The Road you get the honest depiction of a scared shitless humanity's response to the most horrible situation you can imagine. There's no hero or happy ending. The reason for the epidemic isn't highlighted, or even considered important. What's important is surviving for one terrified second longer. Humanity is reduced to the rules of the animal kingdom, and we're reminded how animalistic we really are when the thin veil of society goes up in flames.

As far as The Walking Dead (comic) series goes... I'm still a zombie horror fan, but once I finally started reading Crossed (about a year ago) I could no longer get excited about TWD in the same way that I used to. It's still some great writing and I continue to read it, but once introduced to the crossed universe... the slow moving, thoughtless, brainless, flesh eaters that are slowly decaying away to nothing kind of lost their appeal in my eyes. Comparing a zombie to a plussie is like comparing a toddler to a UFC fighter. ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352207#Comment_352207
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352207#Comment_352207Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:53:59 -0500Big SvenCROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352215#Comment_352215
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352215#Comment_352215Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:49:28 -0500johnjonesCROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352220#Comment_352220
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352220#Comment_352220Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:22:33 -0500lankmarrow
But on the plus side (pun intended), I do have killer St Trinian's and cannibal bus conductors.

(This would fit with the other possibly immune guy--we found out he might be immune, but then oops, Hoduken. This is one mean series--no hope for you.)

Not necessarily, though. We've seen the odd Crossed with enough self-control to take long-term prisoners for more elaborate games, and to bully other Crossed to go along with actual plans. Starting with Horsecock--who could even order Crossed to stay on guard duty when they wanted to help torture prisoners. ]]>
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE -- Episode 45 (Season 2 Ep 23)http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352379#Comment_352379
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=11059&Focus=352379#Comment_352379Fri, 03 May 2013 07:57:02 -0500VoteForDuvallEither way it's a minor and forgivable blemish, certainly nothing I'll get uproared about, but still a great notation. When I saw the trash bag mummy in the boat, I was thoroughly confused to see a boat containing 2 non-crossed (at that point I was thinking that trashbag mummy has never been outed as crossed, and then the hostaged Seline), 1 crossed (the boat's helmsman), and 1 X-crossed Aoileann (still undetermined as to whether she is crossed of just pants shitting crazy.) ANyways... the mystery still continues, but at least I now know that Trashbag mummy guy is a plussie.

Fuck, maybe he IS the gamekeeper. Who knows what happened after Shaky shot him. Now... on to the ACTUAL Ch. 24 thread... ]]>